Tuesday, 16 July 2013

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Having struggled with oily skin for so many years, I've finally found a product that is literally a game-changer for me and worthy of Holy Grail status. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF15 is a silicone and mineral-based, oil-free primer that has given me results like no other primer or foundation that I've ever tried (and I've tried a lot!). In terms of oil control, this has the competition beat absolutely hands down.
Using Veil Mineral Primer under my current Sofina Primavista powder foundation, there is only the slightest hint of shine on my nose after three hours and none at all on my cheeks and forehead. Even without blotting, after seven hours, it was only my nose area that looked shiny. With virtually every other primer or foundation that I've tried, my whole T-zone and cheeks get oily and blotting is required at least every 2-3 hours. With Veil Mineral Primer, I only have to blot once or twice a day, every 3-4 hours. That, for me, is unheard of and it means I no longer run through packs of Gatsby blotting sheets like crazy. I recently tried out a sample of Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer and the difference could not be starker. My skin got oily within an hour and I was blotting every hour. Needless to say, I returned to Veil Mineral Primer the very next day.

The white fluid has a thin texture that absorbs readily without any whitish cast on the skin. It does have a silicone-y texture and requires virtually no waiting time before applying foundation. There isn't a significant effect in terms of diminishing the appearance of my pores, but when combined with foundation, the skin surface does look smoother. After using this for two weeks, I've not experienced any breakouts or excessive pore clogging.
Aside from boasting a broad spectrum sunscreen (comprising 2.45% titanium dioxide and 4.20% zinc oxide), the vegan-friendly formula is also free from fragrance, parabens, synthetic dye, sulfates and phthlates. The other ingredients are: Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Polysilicone-11, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Hexyl Laurate, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isosterate, Stearic Acid, Alumina.

This retails at US$52 in the US, and £52 in the UK. It's not cheap but a full size bottle (30ml) should easily last at least half a year, if not more, as you do not need that much product for one application. My 5ml sample bottle is still about two-thirds full after using it for two weeks. The sample bottle has a spatula applicator while the full size bottle has a pump.
I ordered the Veil Mineral Primer from SpaceNK in the US back in February when SpaceNK had an awesome gift with purchase promotion. Aside from Veil, I also picked up the No. 28 Primer Serum and their Extreme Sheen lipgloss, Opaque Rouge and Femme Rouge in their signature Icon shade. I haven't tried the No.28 Primer, which will probably work better during the winter months. Veil is perfect for the sweltering summer weather we're having here right now.
The gift with purchase of $250 was supposed to be worth $325 and consisted of several luxury brands such as By Terry, Rodial, Sunday Riley, Darphin, Diptyque, the Veil Mineral Primer sample and even a full sized Lipstick Queen lipstick. It's going to take ages to try it all out, but nothing tempts like a generous sample bag!